Hi there, my name is Danzhu Hu aka, 淡竹鹘, and here are some selections from my Illustration MFA thesis project Farewell. At the very beginning of my creative journey, I discovered my keen interest in mental health advocacy, which has become a regular topic for my personal projects. And creating these projects has become an extremely healing practice for me. Farewell is my attempt to rewrite some of my most difficult moments battling with mental health issues through the lens of empathy and love. It consists of a series of personal stories about how, in this alternative world, I was able to find peace while dealing with severe self-hatred towards my body. And to unveil the private yet complex moments in my life, I constructed my work on a three-dimensional and multi-layered surface mounted with watercolor paper. In these layers lies the most vulnerable part of me, which was once hidden deep and is now open to the public. Farewell will be exhibiting at the Gallery FIT from June 18th to July 17th. Come and see the details of my three-dimensional paper-cut projects!